Low-resistance exercise and rehabilitation chair

Abstract

An exercise and rehabilitation chair and method includes pivotal front support legs, rigid rear legs, a seat assembly having a seat bottom and seat back and upper and lower arms, each upper and lower arm being pivotally coupled at a rearward end to a pivotal support arm rigid with a seat back and at a forward end to an upper end of a pivotal front leg. Bearing structures pivotally connect corresponding support arms and rear legs and establish a fulcrum about which the seat assembly may rotate. The bearing structures are simultaneously adjustable longitudinally along the pivotal support arms and rigid rear legs with displacement of the fulcrum relative to a user's hips regulating the resistance of chair operation. A foot assembly is pivotally coupled to the front legs and the forward ends of the upper and lower arms. All pivotal connections correspond anatomically to a user's joints for low joint stress and low-resistance exercise.

1. A method of exercising in an exercise chair having a generally horizontally supported seat, a pivot linkage connected to the seat, a front leg support connected to said linkage to determine a chair knee joint axis, a rear back support connected to said linkage to define a chair hip joint axis, a seat back, and a fulcrum pivot spaced above said chair hip joint axis and connected to said seat back and said linkage, said method comprising the steps of:
 occupying the chair by a user when said seat back is in an upright position; 
 positioning the user's anatomical knee joints generally in alignment with said chair knee joint axis; 
 positioning said user's anatomical hip joints generally in alignment with said chair hip joint axis; 
 exerting a rearward force on said seat back to rotate said front leg support about said knee joint axis from an at rest position to a raised position and said seat back about said fulcrum pivot from said upright position to a backward inclined position; and 
 relaxing said rearward force to enable said front leg support to pivot back to said at rest position and return said seat back to said upright position. 
 
   
   
     2. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , further including the step of weighting said front leg support to offset a weight of said seat back. 
   
   
     3. The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said exerting of a rearward force on said seat back is low resistance. 
   
   
     4. The method as set forth in  claim 3  wherein said exerting and said relaxing of said rearward force can be carried out at a high frequency without tiring the user. 
   
   
     5. A method of exercising which comprises the steps of:
 positioning a user in an exercise chair with the user's knee joints substantially aligned with a chair knee joint axis; 
 at the same time positioning the user's hip joints substantially aligned with a chair hip joint axis; and 
 alternately exerting and relaxing a rearward force on said seat back by said user to rotate a chair front leg support about said knee joint axis between an at rest position and a raised position and rotate said seat back about a fulcrum pivot between an upright position and a backward inclined position. 
 
   
   
     6. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , further including the step of exerting a force on said front leg support at the same time and generally opposite to said rearward force exerted on said seat back. 
   
   
     7. The method as claimed in  claim 6  wherein said front leg support includes a foot rest for receiving the user's feet and said force exerted on said front leg support is against said foot rest by said user's feet. 
   
   
     8. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , further including the step of positioning said fulcrum pivot approximately 3–9 inches above said chair hip joint axis. 
   
   
     9. A method of operating an exercise chair having a generally horizontally supported seat, a pivot linkage connected to the seat, a front leg support connected to said linkage to determine a first pivot axis, a seat back, and a fulcrum pivot connected to said seat back and said linkage to define a second pivot, said method comprising the steps of exerting a rearward force on said seat back and at the same time a generally opposite force on said front leg support to rotate said front leg support about said first axis from an at rest position to a raised position and rotate said seat back about said, second pivot between an upright position and a backward inclined position, relaxing said forces, and alternately exerting and relaxing said forces. 
   
   
     10. A method of exercising in an exercise chair having a generally horizontally supported seat, a pivotal front leg support, and a seat back, said method comprising the steps of:
 a user occupying the chair seat with the weight of the user pivoting said seat back to an upright position; 
 positioning the user's anatomical knee joints generally in alignment with a chair knee joint axis defined by a pivotal connection between a front end of a pivot link connected to and supporting said seat and said pivotal front leg support; 
 positioning said user's anatomical hip joints generally in alignment with a chair hip joint axis defined by a pivotal connection between a rearward end of said link and a rigid rear support; 
 the user in said seat exerting a rearward force on said seat back to move said link toward said front leg support from an at rest upright position and said seat back about a fulcrum pivot from an upright position to a backward inclined position; and 
 relaxing said rearward force on the seat back to enable weight on said seat to return said seat back to said upright position. 
 
   
   
     11. The method as defined in  claim 10 , wherein said chair includes a foot rest pivotally supported from an upper end of said pivotal front leg support and depending therefrom, a second pivot link parallel to and below said seat supporting link, a forward end of said second link being pivotally connected to said foot rest below said chair knee joint axis, a rearward end of said second link being pivotally connected to said seat back at a point below the pivotal connection between the rearward end of said seat supporting link and said seat back to form a fulcrum axis supporting the rearward end of said links, said pivotal connection between the seat back and rear support being adjustable along both the seat back and rear support to adjust the distance between the fulcrum axis and pivotal connections between the seat back and rearward ends of said links to vary the force required to move said seat and seat back forwardly and rearwardly wherein the seat occupant applies and relaxes forces on the seat and seat back with the weight of the occupant returning the chair to upright position. 
   
   
     12. An exercise chair comprising a pair of laterally spaced, stationary upstanding rigid rear supports, a pair of laterally spaced upstanding front supports pivotal about a transverse axis at a lower end thereof, a pair of laterally spaced, generally horizontal supporting arms having a seat supported therefrom, a first pivot connecting a forward end of each of said arms to the upper end of said front pivotal support, a seat back connected to a rearward end of said arms by a second pivot, and a third pivot connecting the upper end of each of said rigid rear supports and said seat back, said third pivot located at a position spaced above said second pivot, said third pivot being adjustable in relation to said seat back and said rigid rear supports to adjust the distance between said second and third pivots to vary the force required to move the seat and seat back between upright and reclined positions when exerting a rearward force on said seat back and to move said arms and seat forwardly about the second pivot and to pivot the upper end of said front supports about the transverse axis at their lower ends, with relaxation of said force enabling an occupant's weight on the seat to return said seat and seat back to an upright position. 
   
   
     13. An exercise chair comprising an upstanding rigid rear support, an upstanding front support pivotal about a transverse axis at a lower end thereof, a supporting arm having a seat supported therefrom, a first pivot connecting a forward end of said arm to the upper end of said front pivotal support, a seat back connected to a rearward end of said arm by a second pivot, and a third pivot connecting the upper end of said rigid rear support and said seat back, said third pivot located at a position spaced above said second pivot, said third pivot being adjustable in relation to said seat back and said rigid rear support to adjust the distance between said second and third pivots to vary the force required to move the seat and seat back between upright and reclined positions when exerting a rearward force on said seat back and to move said arm and seat forwardly about the second pivot and to pivot the upper end of said front support about the transverse axis at its lower end, with relaxation of said force enabling an occupant's weight on the seat to return said seat and seat back to an upright position, and a foot rest pivotally supported from said first pivot in depending relation thereto, a second supporting arm below said seat supporting arm and having a forward end connected to said foot rest at a fourth pivot below said first pivot, said second arm including a rearward end pivotally connected to said seat back at a fifth pivot below said second pivot to form a parallelogram linkage for pivoting the foot rest in response to pivotal movement of the seat back. 
   
   
     14. An exercise chair as claimed in  claim 12  wherein one of said rear supports and one of said arms includes a lock structure in spaced relation to said second and third pivots to lock said arms, seat and seat back in stationary adjusted positions.